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Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Like a giant Reese’s peanut butter cup!
Texture: Super rich, smooth, and creamy.
Ease: Very easy – no baking, no water baths, nothing difficult.
Why you’ll love this recipe: Simple and delicious recipe perfect for entertaining.
Here in Phoenix during the summer, I avoid turning on my oven whenever possible. That’s when no-bake recipes become my go-to.
Traditional cheesecakes take over an hour to bake, often involving the nuisance of a water bath, and then take hours longer to cool and chill. This recipe skips most of those steps, saving so much time and keeping your kitchen cool!
Bonus: the peanut butter flavor actually shines more in a no-bake cheesecake. It’s not diluted by a bunch of eggs or the process of baking. So the flavor stays bold, nutty, and nostalgic.
If you love chocolate and peanut butter like I do, this peanut butter cheesecake recipe is hard to beat!
Reader Love
Great recipe, it DOES taste like a giant peanut butter cup and my coworker asked me to make this for his birthday for the second year in a row. I added some mini Reese’s cups as garnish 🙂
Such a delicious cheesecake and quite simple to make. Turned out just like the photos in recipe. Really popular with the family. I will be making it again for another family group this weekend.
Recipe Ingredients
The below ingredients and how they’re purchased and prepared make the difference between a no-bake cheesecake that slices beautifully and one that turns into a soft, underset mess.
Graham Crackers: Use your food processor to finely grind the crackers for a crust that holds together. You can also use store-bought crumbs. If they are too coarse, the crust will crumble.
Substitutions: You can substitute the same amount of fine crumbs (about 1 cup, or 227 grams) from digestive biscuits, vanilla wafers, or chocolate graham crackers.
Cream Cheese: It’s essential to only use full-fat brick cream cheese, not cream cheese from a tub. I strongly recommend the Philadelphia brand. Many generic brands are too watery for no-bake cheesecake. Make sure it’s fully softened to room temperature before using, otherwise your cheesecake will be lumpy.
Powdered Sugar: This is used in place of granulated sugar because it dissolves more readily into the no-bake filling for a smooth texture.
Peanut Butter: Use whatever you enjoy eating. My preferred choice is the Kirkland Signature Organic Peanut Butter, so long as it’s been very well stirred. Natural peanut butter that only contains peanuts + nuts will offer a bolder flavor, but seriously, it must be very well stirred (no dry bits, no oily bits). Conventional peanut butter will work too, but your filling may be sweeter.
Heavy Cream (36% milkfat): Just half a cup helps create a silky, smooth, and rich texture while still allowing the filling to firm up in the fridge. Without this, the filling is overly dense and heavy. Don’t substitute this.
Chocolate: For the ganache, I prefer semisweet chocolate to balance the sweetness and complement the nuttiness of the peanut butter filling. I find bittersweet chocolate to be too dark for this recipe. You can try using milk chocolate, but note the ganache will be softer.
How to Make No Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake (Step by Step)
Prepare graham cracker crust. Pulse graham crackers in a food processor until very fine (or use store-bought crumbs—don’t crush by hand, they won’t be fine enough for the crust to hold without baking).
Press crust into pan. Press firmly into a greased 9-inch springform pan using the bottom of a glass or measuring cup.
Fill the pan. Pour filling into assembled crust, smoothing with a spatula. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, but overnight is best.
Add ganache topping. Pour over the chilled cheesecake and spread with an icing spatula.
Tessa’s Tips
- Grind graham crackers very finely for a crust that holds together.
- Press the crust firmly using a measuring cup to compact the crumbs.
- Use brick-style cream cheese only. Spreadable cream cheese prevents proper setting.
- Make sure cream cheese is fully softened before mixing.
- Chill the cheesecake at least 6 hours, but overnight is best.
- If slices feel too soft, freeze the cheesecake 30 minutes before cutting.
- Use a hot knife for clean slices. Run under hot water and wipe dry between cuts.
Storage & Make ahead
Fridge: Store covered for up to 1 week.
Freezer: Wrap the whole cheesecake or individual slices in plastic wrap, place in airtight container, and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.
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Ingredients
For the crust:
- 16 whole (227 grams) graham crackers
- 7 tablespoons (100 grams) unsalted butter, melted
For the filling:
- 24 ounces (680 grams) cream cheese, completed softened to room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (188 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 cup (270 grams) creamy peanut butter*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream, at room temperature
For the chocolate ganache:
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream
- 4 ounces (113 grams) semisweet chocolate
Instructions
Make the crust:
- Place the graham crackers in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add in the melted butter and pulse until moistened.
- Thoroughly grease the bottoms and sides of 9-inch springform pan.
- Pour crust into the prepared pan. Using the bottom of a measuring cup or flat glass, press the crust firmly into the bottom and 1-inch up the sides of the pan. Refrigerate.
Make the filling:
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese for one minute or until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Add in the sugar and continue beating until smooth. Add in the peanut butter, vanilla, and heavy cream, beating between each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Beat the mixture on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, or until completely smooth and creamy.
- Pour the cheesecake mixture into the springform pan. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Make the ganache:
- In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a simmer then remove from heat and add chopped chocolate. You can also heat the cream in the microwave. Let stand 1 minute then stir until the chocolate has melted. Stir until smooth.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes before pouring over the cheesecake.
- Return the cheesecake to the fridge to chill for another hour before serving. If the cheesecake is too loose to slice and serve, freeze for 30 minutes to 1 hour to firm up. Keep refrigerated or frozen.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
A no bake peanut butter cheesecake is a cheesecake made without eggs that sets in the refrigerator instead of the oven. The texture is extra creamy and mousse-like and must be kept col to hold its shape.
A no bake cheesecake usually fails to set if the ingredients contain too much liquid because a spreadable, generic, or low-fat cream cheese product was used, or if the cheesecake wasn’t chilled thoroughly. For best results, chill overnight in the back of the fridge.
Yes! No bake cheesecake freezes very well. Wrap slices tightly in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
This recipe was created in 2019 and updated in 2026 with new photos and additional recipe tips. Photos by Joanie Simon.
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Can I use milk instead heavy cream?
No, they are two completely different ingredients. Milk typically contains no more than 3.25% milk fat, whereas heavy cream is much fattier, containing at least 36% milk fat. Using milk will result in a runny filling and ganache.
It sounds totally awesome I can’t wait to make it so I can have a piece of that pie yummy!!
Hi, the peanut butter I’m using is pretty sweet, can I cut down on the amount of sugar I use in this recipe?
Also, I want to use Oreos for the base, can I just replace the graham crackers in the same proportions? Do I need to change the amount of butter?
Hi Laura! I wouldn’t suggest reducing the amount of sugar used in this recipe as sugar does more than provide sweetness, reducing it can actually alter the chemistry of the cheesecake! Are you able to try using a different brand of peanut butter? We suggest brands like Skippy or Jif. As for the crust, we haven’t tried an Oreo crust with this recipe, so I can’t say for sure! I’d suggest finding a no-bake Oreo crust recipe online to follow just to make sure the proportions are correct and you’re not having to waste ingredients 🙂 Please let us know how it goes!
Loved it! Have made it twice. Used Nutty Buddy cookies first n the next one Chips Ahoy Chocolate Chip chucked cookies crumbs for the crust.
Both were excellent. Didn’t cover with Chocolate. Used carmel n hot fudge for topping.
Your crust and topping choices sound delicious, yum!! So happy you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for sharing! 🙂
I used Chunky chocolate chip cookies for crust n I have used Nutter butter cookies as well for crust.
I use carmel n hot fudge ice cream topping on top. It’s always a hit at our house!!
That sounds incredible, Mable! Thanks so much for sharing, yum!!
I do not have a spring form pan could I use a small glass casserole dish or pie pan instead? Thank you
That should be fine as this is a no-bake recipe, but I’d use a 9-inch pie pan if possible. It’s definitely easier to remove the cheesecake in a springform pan though 🙂
This cheesecake is super easy to make and requires no baking. It’s perfect for a summer dessert when you don’t want to heat up your house with the oven. It is also a delicious Cheesecake! We loved it. I added some chocolate chips in the middle of the cheesecake, just to have a little more chocolate. I will be making this again.
Thank you, Patty, for your wonderful review! I’m so happy to hear this recipe was such a hit 🙂
Such a delicious cheesecake and quite simple to make. Turned out just like the photos in recipe. Really popular with the family. I will be making it again for another family group this weekend.
I’m so happy this cheesecake was a hit!!
Such a treat. My kids loves it.
I’m so happy to hear this!
I am no baker, to be sure, but this was easy and a total hit with our guests. I learned something new with the flat bottom glass to assist with forming the crust. Next time, perhaps I will use the pre ground graham crackers to eliminate cleaning my food processor. This is a keeper recipe! P.S. I am not a fan of PB or chocolate. I sort of liked this, LOL!
So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe!
can i use almond butter instead of peanut butter – i dont like peanut butter although I do eat peanuts
I’ve only tested this recipe with peanut butter so I can’t say for sure! I’d recommend using a creamy “commercial” almond butter where the oil isn’t separated, otherwise your cheesecake filling will separate and not hold its shape well.
This is so easy and is sooo good. I used chocolate graham crackers, as that is what I had
One recipe I will make over and over